OMG! My NEW site is LIVE!

Just follow this link to my new home!!!

 Oh! Happy day!

Good Bye, Farewell, Adieu

Painted by my son, Owen Daniel 7 years old.

 Dear kind souls,

This will be my last blog entry in this space, in this home. After almost three years, I have decided to move on. For months I`ve been working on a new place to house my words, my paintings my dreams and everything in between.  It is quite fitting that I move at this time, on the cusp of a new birth year, as I am not the same person I was even 8 weeks ago. Change is good. Change is healthy. Change is imperative. The last 8 weeks have been very difficult, there has been great heartache for several reasons. But, I believe there has been great purpose for this. More than ever, I believe in the need to speak your truth--even the unspeakables.

 Unspoken truths are a muzzle on the soul with the whispers of your heart

 marking time by carving notches into its walls, 

like a forgotten prisoner of an innocent crime.

Randi Buckley 

Thank-you from my whole heart for being part of this journey with me. I hope you will join me in my new digs. I have SO much to share with you in the next couple of weeks, about art, about writing, about stories. There are many new beginnings on the horizon. I CANNOT WAIT to unveil my NEW PRO WEBSITE! So please accept this last post as your invitation to my new home. I will be having an Open House on Thursday. Drop by whenever you can and rest assured, I will continue to speak my truth, by sharing my words, my paintings and my true stories. 

Crafting it Up!

I wanted to give you a sneak peek

of my latest little works of art.

I`m tapping into my inner-crafter,

 the one that likes to make cute things.

Here are my little journals that I assembled 

using re-purposed cardboard and watercolour paper.

 An archival print of my artwork has been pasted to the cover.

           

They are the perfect size for your bag or purse.

These little beauties are reserved for the Maker`s Market on December 9th, 

and I also have four others at the Art Gallery of Sudbury.

They are not in the ETSY shop yet, 

BUT

 many more sweet things will be added there soon,

 I promise!

                             

 I have added two NEW journals to the shop

 with ORIGINAL paintings on the cover, 

not to mention several small originals,

so check it out!

That`s it for now, I`m off to get cracking again.

But please be sure to check in next week...

I have SO MANY VERY HAPPY THINGS to share!

I`d love to hear what you`ve been crafting for the holiday season...

There is nothing sweeter than receiving a handmade gift.

Happy Making dear friends.

With LOVE,

   

Turning The Page

It's a new day!

I have been in my studio for hours at a time again...

Painting and painting some more.

I have added six new girlies in the shop already

and here is a peek into my latest little works which will be added tomorrow.

I have enjoyed painting cute again, surrendering to my inner child.

I'm gearing up for the Holiday Season

 preparing to drop off some new goodies at the Sudbury Art Gallery.

I'm also SO excited for this juried  local show.

It's like Santa's little workshop down here...

I also wanted to spill the beans that

 I've been working with some serious PROS since August

designing my NEW WEBSITE

that I hope to launch later this month...

So all in all, 

three cheers for turning the page!

A NEW month, 

a NEW beginning, 

and moving forward, one step at a time!

I hope you are all well in your parts of the world.

My prayers and thoughts are still with all those 

dealing with the aftermath of the Hurricane.

Big love from me to you.

The Eye of the Storm

Hurricane Sandy is being felt across North America. We are all united by her winds.

We have had wet snow and ice to contend with but nothing

like the weather many of my East coast friends have had to endure.

My thoughts and prayers are with you all.

I have learned that many of us are simultaneously fighting 

our own personal hurricanes.

Tumultuous emotions are being brought up and out during this time.

When great upheaval occurs like this, one of two things can happen;

it can bring out the best in a relationship

or

it can dismantle it.

What I am learning time and time again is that 

both of these outcomes are good.

Steve and I have not been immune to the present winds.

Hurricanes have a way of dismantling the status quo;

 bringing out the best in people or highlighting their lack of light.

New slates all around us are being born.

Making room for a new way, 

an honest way, 

the truth.

Hurricanes allow us to let go of all that and those.

I'm letting you go into the winds.

I only wish I'd done it sooner.

Art Heals

Lola

 Art Heals. It does.

Those who make things and paint and create with their hands know how vital art is to their heart—their soul.  It has been my lifeline (again), through these past few weeks. Whether it was in the form of a handwritten note from a loving friend, a book of short stories, or a poem I carried in my pocket. Just carrying art supplies in my bag—knowing they were there within my reach was comforting to me. My pens and my journal, acted as my confidants while sitting by Steve's hospital bed in the dark or alone in the hotel after a long hard day.

I am grateful for these tools that comforted me in my time of need.  Since returning home, I have had little time and energy to devote to my work, but knowing it was just waiting for me to come back to has consoled me in ways I can't even articulate at this moment.

Grief is a living emotion and time does not heal all.

Art can help work through the grief the way time cannot.

I am so grateful for my creative well. It is a lifeline. It is a gift.

I'm getting there.

Again.

With Love,

Finding my Footting

How are you all doing? I'm still trying to find my footing over here.  It's amazing what happens to your body after a stressful event. It speaks, through aches and pains and tired eyes and tired bones. It was a long week last week. Steve was home but he was still in a lot of pain from the surgery and our sleep was limited. He also ended up at the Emergency Thursday night due to his rising temperature. A fever after a surgery is a scary thing— it means it could be an infection and an infection after spinal surgery could lead to meningitis...SO, my friends, it has been exhausting. I feel like I have been hit by a half-ton—totally depleted. BUT, I believe we are FINALLY out of the woods and into the clear. Steve's headaches have also subsided, but he occasionally wears sunglasses while eating breakfast which is a little odd—still.

On another note, I've been trying to get back into a routine again. I've been spending a little time in the studio and will have some new original works to add later this week.  It's been slow-going, but I can see a shift in my work again. Maybe you will notice it too. (There is no hiding when you paint faces.)

I have been extremely blessed by friends who have been dropping off baked goods and home cooked meals consisting of soups, quiche, canole and everything else under the sun. This has meant the world to me and to my family. I am so grateful to these kind and loving souls, you know who you are...

That's it for today but I promise to share more of what I've been painting in the next post-coming soon. Thank-you again for the kind messages that have been rolling through and for all the sweet folks who have been checking in on us. I hope to feel like myself again soon. I'm bound to kick it in gear again, last night was the first night I actually slept through the night! Love from me to you. xoxo  

Seven Days After

Exactly a week ago today, I was sitting in a waiting room with about twenty other people, equally anxious and scared; all there because someone they loved was in surgery. Sitting in that room for four hours with Steve's wheelchair by my side, was the longest four hours of my life. I was unable to focus on anything except the huge lump in my throat and the short breaths that heaved from my chest. 

We were four hours away from home, in the big city. The days were long and the nights even longer. Steve has said that this week was the most difficult week of his life—worse than breaking his back. He said he's been dreaming about the army days—vivid dreams, full of color and texture and sounds.  It's brought us both back to that time, that place that will probably always haunt us.

Steve came home yesterday. Back home. I feel like I can breathe again, like the worse is over and I can finally let go. My body is telling me to slow down; my jaw is sore from clenching my teeth, my muscles tight from worry, and my eyes puffy from sleepless nights.

We piled into bed last night, all with our pajamas and watched Penguins of Madagascar on TV.  In that moment, I felt complete bliss, so much happiness, I could have burst because we survived. Because we were together again. Because I know how lucky we are.

I know that not every family in that waiting room has made it home—many are still there, filled with worry and sadness. I know many of them will be there for a long time because I was sitting there when the surgeon came in and said it was not good news, it was lymphoma and the size of a pumpkin—in his brain.  I'm also thinking of the woman who died on Steve's floor the night of his surgery, 93 years old. I heard the nurse say that she was an organ donor but that her organs were not viable. I also heard her say there was no one to call. She was alone in this world.

So today, I am counting my blessings and then some. I am wholeheartedly expressing my gratitude to you for your loving-supportive words on this blog and the countless other messages we have received from friends who have reached out and told us we were not alone. I'm grateful for the surgeon who did what he said he would do and for the nurses who cared for Steve with respect and kindness.

He's sleeping. He's home. The healing continues, but I have again been changed by this experience, we both have. We have been to many painful and dark places this week, but I feel the rain has tapered off and I see the rainbow just over the horizon.

With buckets of LOVE, 

POST-Surgery News

I want to start off by saying thank-you from the depths of my heart for your kindness and your loving words of support on the blog, facebook, email, text, phone... I’ve had great difficulty sharing the upcoming surgery with friends and family even, because the last time I was in a hospital and waiting for Steve to come out of surgery... our whole lives had just been dismantled-our worlds had just been devastated.  I admit that I suffer from some serious PTSD surrounding these events.

Many of you have been wondering why this surgery had to take place. Steve has had a growing cyst building up in his spinal cord that has been causing him extreme pain and started to impair functioning in his arms. He has also been suffering from headaches and increased leg spasms. In short, the surgeon said if he would not get this surgery, he would become quadriplegic.

**********************************************************************************

Surgery was now five days ago. The surgery itself was successful. The surgeon said the cyst was even bigger than anticipated so it was imperative that  take place when it did.  Steve says that the pain he felt in his upper arms has subsided already. However, he's been dealing with debilitating pain in his head-like a five day migraine that won't quit. He has trouble speaking, eating and is extremely sensitive to light, having to keep his eyes covered.  The doctor said this will self-regulate. The spinal fluid continually being drained into a receptacle is causing movement of the spinal fluid, distorting his equilibrium which is causing him pain, but this should and will improve. I pray it is sooner than later because it has been excruciating for him. 

Going through this again, seven years later, reminds me just how precious life is.  It reminds me of how much I love this man, how much we have been together and how much I long for decades more by his side.  It reminds me to take nothing for granted, to kiss the ones you love and share your heart-even when it feels broken and full of sadness, even when you are so afraid you can barely utter the words.  It reminds me just how strong I am, how strong he is and how lucky we are to have each other to share this life.

More soon.

PS. I have read every single message that has been sent by various devices. Forgive me for not responding right now. I am completely exhausted and need to make sure Mama stays healthy right now. Thank-you. 

Into The Winds

    

I watched the sun rise a few days ago. I couldn't sleep and woke up at 4am.

By 6am, I was in my car, driving in the dark, alone with my thoughts.

I've been scattered lately, dancing around something I don't want to look at, feel.

It's hard to love someone who is always in pain,

when you can't do anything to help, to take it away.

To make it stop.

I get angry. Often.

Most days I suppress it, until I can't. Anymore.

I'm afraid -right now.

To say it aloud,

to go there.

Scared of the unknown.

Feeling like the dues have already been 

PAID IN FULL,

with interest,

enough is enough,

where is the rainbow

after the storm?

We leave today for Steve's surgery.

It's a biggy-spinal cord surgery-

to help alleviate pain and pressure.

I'm asking for your help;

your prayers,

your positive energy,

your mojo,

your hand to hold,

your listening ear,

your love to shine.

Because together

is always better

than alone,
even though saying it
and sharing it
makes it more real.

Let

 fear scatter

into the winds

and slide off the rainbow.

 

LOVE,